East Coast Girls by Kerry Kletter

Author:Kerry Kletter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA Books
Published: 2020-03-15T20:04:32+00:00

BLUE

Blue paid the check as Renee fired off texts to Maya that went unanswered. “So much for Maya buying dinner,” she said to Hannah. “Mystery of her disappearance solved.”

She told herself Maya was fine. Hannah had seen her talking to some guy earlier, and now, knowing Maya, she was probably off in a secluded area making out with him. Which was all the more annoying considering she’d been cornered into lying to Renee about Jack because Maya had left them alone together. Oh, it didn’t matter that it had been her choice to lie. She was fully aware that it wasn’t fair to be mad at Maya about that. But she had enough legitimate reasons that she didn’t mind adding some illegitimate ones to the list. She should’ve never let Maya drag her on this stupid vacation. And okay, fine, she hadn’t technically been “dragged.” It was another spurious claim, but still, still. Maya left her with Renee! Who she didn’t want to share a country with, much less an evening. And now Blue was stuck dealing with the fallout.

“I’ll check the parking lot,” she said, throwing a cash tip on the table.

A sudden sick feeling turned her stomach.

A glimpse of memory, darting like a shadow across her periphery.

The recall of danger.

“I’ll see if she’s on the dock,” Renee said, nervously fingering the cross around her neck. “Maybe she went into one of those little stores.”

“I’ll double-check in here,” Hannah said.

A look of dread passed between them.

“She always does crap like this,” Blue said. “I refuse to worry.”

But she couldn’t help it. That night lived in her. Rose up like a rogue wave and crashed down in irrational, all-consuming terror. She could see it in Renee’s and Hannah’s eyes, too, that quick leap to panic. One night, a few minutes, was all it took to rewire a brain.

And even back then Maya had been too loose with the world, too obtuse to its realities.

Even back then.

She didn’t want to think about it. About that creep in her spine when eighteen-year-old Hannah had said, “I think we’re lost.” About the way her body had seemed to sense what was coming.

But no, this was not the same as that. Maya was fine. Everything was fine.

And yet hadn’t she thought the same thing back then, when they pulled in to the convenience store that night to get directions? She thought they would be rerouted back to safety. And instead. Instead.

God, why didn’t Maya ever learn?

Drunk and high as Blue had been after Check’s party, she knew enough to force herself sober the minute they’d gotten lost. And when they’d spotted that convenience store and got out to ask for directions? Blue had been acutely aware that the neighborhood was unsafe, that they should not draw attention to themselves. But not Maya. Oh no! She’d been as loud as a jet engine as she clambered out.

“Who’s buying me a Slurpee?” she’d shouted.

“Shh,” Blue said as they stepped around a homeless man on their way into the store.

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